Most famous for having their foundation date impersonated by Notts County for over 150 years-the result of a mistake not deliberate deceit, it was a case of Paradise Lost for a prominent Sheffield club that was destined to fade away before football became ‘the People’s Game’.
In the beginning there was cricket and Milton, from the Milton Arms on Milton Street by the moor, which was semi-rural within living memory, came from a thriving, quite prestigious and well-established cricket club. One of the original United Cricket Club company, the elite clubs of Sheffield that shared the rental of Bramall Lane from 1854-5, Milton were named, indirectly, after Viscount Milton of the Wentworth/Fitzwilliam family, 1786-1857. The great Charles Stokes, Sheffield’s first dentist and future Sheffield United Chairman was secretary.
As everyone knows Notts County are the oldest professional association club in the world, formed on 28th November 1862. However, whilst the first part is true, Notts County were actually formed two years later in 1864. They are still the oldest professional football club in the world despite claims by Crystal Palace, Wrexham and Stoke City which don’t stand up to scrutiny. On Friday 28th November 1862, In Sheffield, the Milton football club was formed from the cricket club and a journalist from Nottingham, looked at a syndicated story and made a mistake.
Their home was at the ‘pleasantly situated’ Cremorne Gardens Ground, moving to Hounsfield Park in 1864, and their strip was a waspish yellow and black. As the clippings below show the sides were picked by William Wainwight landlord of the Milton Arms Sheffield and Chas Deakin, champion celery grower of Sheffield. Deakin put down his spade and picked a winning combination. J. Rowbotham, Hon.Secretary of Sheffield Milton, a surgeon, was one of the finest batsmen of his day, his innings for Yorkshire against Kent was recognised as one of the best innings ever seen at Bramall Lane.
Milton’s other claim to fame is that their otherwise undistinguished annual athletics meeting at Bramall Lane had the ‘Milton Sensation race’, as a feature arguably the silliest in this series. Blindfold competitors had to turn their backs on the winning post, a sensible start as dangerous discharges from the starting pistol were common. Then, at the sound of a pistol shot turn round, take three hops, hold the hop until they heard another pistol shot, turn head over heels three times in succession, and then sprint for the line. The Victorian gentlemen found it hilarious. I guess you had to be there.
Milton had a promising start in the Youdan Cup, beating Wellington FC in the first round before being eliminated by Mackenzie in the second. Sadly they appear to fade away in 1871.
